What is Reiki?

What we term today as Reiki was traditionally known as 'The Usui System of Natural Healing' or Usui-do (The Way Of Usui), developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the early 1900s.

Reiki is a Japanese term actually consisting of two words with varying interpretations:Rei - Universal energy outside all living things, the highest spiritual consciousness, one could also call it Divine consciousness. My personal interpretation sees this as the "Father" energy – corresponding to the Yang Principle.Ki - Life force energy, inside all living things, surrounds all living things, earthier frequency than Rei energy. In my interpretation this would correspond to the "Mother" energy – the Yin Principle. Only Rei and Ki combined make the whole - Yin and Yang combined, the Universal Life Force.

Mikao Usui developed the Reiki system as a path for spiritual development and for natural healing.

How does it work?

In many Eastern traditions, Ki, also known as Chi in China or Prana in India is believed to need to flow freely throughout the body for optimal emotional and physical health. If we suffer spiritual, emotional or physical trauma, the flow of Ki becomes blocked, causing illness to develop. The healthier someone is, the more Ki they will have flowing through their body.

Reiki works to dissolve the energy blockages in the body and thus allows the body to restore itself back to health, along with gently healing trauma on any level (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual) and even across time, as the energy is non-local and transcends time and space. In short, Reiki balances the mind, body and soul. Reiki can be used on any condition and is also a path to spiritual enlightenment if you choose to develop yourself in that way.

How does a Reiki treatment feel?

Receiving a Reiki healing is a deeply relaxing and pleasant experience. The client remains fully clothed and is lying on a therapy couch. Reiki treatments are very gentle and non intrusive, they are equally effective hands-on as well as hands-off, with the practitioner holding their hands a few inches away from the body or even as distant healings across the globe.Back to top

Reiki as a path of spiritual development

Reiki is not just a system of natural healing, in fact, now that we have greater access to the original Japanese material, we are learning that Mikao Usui devised it first and foremost as a complete system for spiritual development. Although it is deeply grounded in Buddhist tradition, it is not related to any religious practice, but constitutes a purely spiritual path. A simple way of discerning religious from spiritual practice is that in a religion, followers look to a greater power outside of themselves for help, healing and salvation, whereas those who follow a purely spiritual practice seek to connect to a higher power within themselves and seek to experience a sense of oneness with all that is. The Reiki system is based on a combination of the following five traditional elements to develop an individual's spiritual connection:

The five Reiki Precepts (Gokai)

Conscious Breathing (Kokyu Ho)

Hands-on Healing (Tenohira)

Symbols and Mantras (Juman and Shirushi)

Attunements / empowerments (Reiju)

I cover all these aspects in my Reiki classes and workshops.Back to top

The five Reiki Precepts

In Buddhism, a precept is a spiritual principle, a rule by which to live your life.The Reiki precepts are very simple, yet all-encompassing principles which should be meditated upon by the practitioner twice a day. The more time you spend pondering these principles, the deeper your understanding of them will grow and the more effortlessly you will be able to integrate them into your daily life. There are many different translations around and I feel most drawn to the simplest version as simplicity seems to best reflect the very spirit of Reiki:

My Reiki Courses

If you feel drawn to using Reiki as a path for spiritual development and a means to heal yourself and others, you should consider becoming attuned to the energy.Reiki is passed on by the Reiki Master to the student by means of attunements (Western Tradition) or empowerments (Japanese Tradition). This enables the student to access and use the energy. Although the attunements / empowerments will establish a permanent energy connection for the student, it is up to the student to practice daily in order to nurture and enhance this connection.I am a Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher and offer individual and group attunements to any of the three Reiki degrees upon request. Each course covers a wide curriculum, but I can adapt the format to fit you and your personal requirements. The three Reiki degrees are:

Shoden (First Degree)The first degree has a focus on self healing, and it is very beneficial for students to become attuned to the Reiki energy in order to take charge of their own healing process. You will also be opened to channel Reiki energy for others and hence able to treat family and friends, even pets and plants. The first degree Reiki attunement can be a powerful life changing experience, setting in motion a process of growth and transformation on all levels - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Okuden (Second Degree)The second degree will deepen your connection with the Reiki energy. It gives you access to three symbols and their corresponding mantras which will greatly enhance the energy you are able to run and allow you to send healing into the past and future and to do distant healings. This level is the miminum requirement for professional practitioners.

Shinpiden (Third Degree)In my Reiki lineage, the third degree is a combined Master and Teacher degree, which gives not only access to the master symbol but also enables the initiate to give attunements to others and teach. The Master degree amplifies the power of your Reiki flow greatly and should not be entered in lightly as is requires the commitment to continued study, practice and personal spiritual growth.

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News announcements:

Next Reiki courses: Please contact me for Reiki at any level in 2019 as I am still flexible and happy to accommodate timing requests.

Stop Press:The 4 weeks' Mindfulness for Everyday Life course has finished for this year. We will start again in 2019 and run for 4 consecutive Thursday evenings at a time. Places are still available. Contact me for the New Year's course if you are interested.

Take-away wisdom:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us."Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love